Petulance
by Deandra
Summary: Faramir has an encounter with his unhappy niece. Fluffy little ONE-SHOT. Part 190 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


**_Part 190 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes._**

**_A/N: My muse continues to be elusive, but at least once in awhile something trickles through._**

**Petulance**

**(Aug, 14 IV)**

"Uncle Faramir? Can I come live with you and Aunt Eowyn?"

Faramir raised a surprised eyebrow. When he had noticed his niece sitting alone in the nursery, curled up in an overstuffed armchair and obviously brooding, he had stopped to speak with her. Whatever petty childhood trauma he might have envisioned causing her unhappiness, he had never expected it to lead to such a question.

"Why would you wish that, Theodwyn? Do you not want to live here with your family any longer?" he questioned, scooping her up in his arms and settling in the chair with the little girl on his lap.

She snaked her arms up around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder, drawing comfort from this embrace for several minutes before answering, "Mama and Papa are mean to me, but I know Aunt Eowyn would not be. Please may I come?"

Faramir's brow knit in puzzlement at her words. "How are they 'mean' to you, little one? I know they love you very much."

"No they do not!" Theodwyn declared passionately. "If they did they would let me be a shieldmaiden, and ride to war like Aunt Eowyn did!" Her lower lip slipped out in the familiar pout she used when trying to win her way in any argument, causing Faramir to restrain a smile.

"Just because they will not let you do those things does not mean they do not love you. It is true that your Aunt Eowyn rode to war, dearest, but those were unusual times. Even she would not encourage you to follow in her footsteps in that regard. War is a nasty, unpleasant business, even for men. I am sure your parents will allow you to learn the ways of a shieldmaiden when you are older, but warfare is better left to men, if it cannot be avoided altogether."

Theodwyn's scowl told him she was less than pleased with his answer, so the Steward of Gondor added, "Besides, would you not miss Elfwine a very great deal? I know the two of you are very close."

For a moment, her determination wavered at the prospect of losing Elfwine from her life, but then her face brightened and she announced, "Elfwine could come also! He is good friends with Eldarion and Elboron. If he lived with you, he would get to see them more often!" She clearly was very pleased with her solution to this difficulty.

"That may be true, but I do not believe Elfwine would wish to leave Rohan. He loves it here and would not want to be away from your Mama and Papa for a very long time. Even with occasional visits, he would miss them too much and want to come home," Faramir explained, and saw Theodwyn's hesitation. She might not like what he was telling her, but she was intelligent enough to know it was true.

Before she could argue further, he said, "You know, when I was a little younger than you are now, I sometimes became angry with my parents also. They did not always let me do what I wanted to do. When I wanted nothing more than to play with my beloved brother, they had other plans that spoiled my fun. Boromir had lessons to attend, and I was too young to join him. And just when I would find something amusing to do, I would be called in to bathe or take a nap. I did not see why I could not do whatever I wanted to do."

"Did you ever want to run away?" Theodwyn questioned earnestly, very much impressed that he understood the problem so well.

"Sometimes I did. I always thought that I would go and live with my Uncle Imrahil in Dol Amroth, for he seemed to know me so much better than my parents did. And he lived by the sea, so I was sure I would like it there very much. But something always seemed to happen before I could sneak away that made me want to stay. Sometimes it was Mama singing me to sleep, or Papa taking me riding on his horse, or going fishing with Boromir. At times like those, I did not wish to be anywhere else, and eventually I realized I would miss my family too much if I were to leave. I came to understand how sad they would be without me, as well. Only later, when I was older did I understand that those things they did which annoyed me were done out of love for me, because they were for my good. Some day, too, I think you will know that also. But, for now, I think you would find you would not be very happy if you went away from them. However, when we return home next week, if you still wish to come with us, I will ask permission of your parents. But, I must warn you – you will find Aunt Eowyn not unlike your Mama. You will not escape those things you dislike just by coming to live with us. And I would never wish to send you off to war any more than your Papa would. You are too precious to risk."

The little girl lay still against his shoulder, contemplating his words. He was not at all sure he had convinced her, but he had tried. And, if she did still wish to go with them, he thought Lothiriel might be persuaded to allow it. Soon enough Theodwyn would discover life in their household was not much different than in her own.

The tawny head of cropped hair lifted, and her solemn eyes met his. "Are you certain they will let me learn to be a shieldmaiden?" she asked, and he almost laughed aloud at her utter seriousness. But, to her this was a serious matter – enough to make her cut off her hair in a misguided effort to bring it about.

"Yes, I feel rather certain of that. But you must prove your worthiness to be a shieldmaiden. It is not all about wielding a sword. Talk to your Aunt Eowyn and she will tell you more, but part of it is being obedient, and sometimes doing things that you do not want to do."

With an exaggerated sigh, Theodwyn fell back into his embrace. "Then I suppose I will stay here, at least for a while anyway."

"I am pleased to hear it," he chuckled, rubbing her back. "I know it will please your family for they would miss you terribly if you were gone." And, perhaps, he would pass along news of this encounter to his wife. More than anyone else, likely Eowyn would be sympathetic toward their niece's frustrations.

One thing was certain, though – he was not at all sorry that Theodwyn was not his to raise. He was not sure he would have the strength to keep up with such a small whirlwind on a regular basis!

THE END

1/22/10

Theodwyn is not quite 6 years old here. She is old enough and has started learning to use a small wooden sword and shield, but is impatient to be "more like Elfwine", whom she idolizes. The reference to her "cropped hair" is explained in the chronicle "Style".

I know some feel that Eowyn truly wanted to be a warrior and fight, sort of like modern women in the military. However, I do not think that was the case. I tend to believe the circumstances of her life drove her to seek glory and honor on the battlefield because she felt so stifled in what she was doing. The fact that she so readily gave it up when she agreed to marry Faramir makes me think she had come to understand herself and her situation better, and no longer had "need" of that outlet for her frustrations. In general, I think Eowyn fit more into traditional Medieval-type society, and that women had no desire to know the horrors of war. And, for the most part, men did not think women belonged on a battlefield, plus they felt it their duty to protect their "delicate" women from such horror. Not everyone will agree with that assessment, I am sure, but it drives most of my stories.

**_End note:  It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content._**


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